Wedge type strand brake with cocking engagement



March 6, 1951 s. w. HERRINGTON WEDGE TYPE STRAND BRAKE WITH COCKING ENGAGEMENT awe/Mop N 0 T G N R R E H W. S

Filed Dec. 24, 1946 Patented Mar. 6, i951 WEDGE TYPE STRAND BRAKE WITH COCKING ENGAGEMENT Sanford W. Herrington, Velasco, Tex.

Application December 24, 1946, Serial N 0. 718,177

2 Claims.

This invention relates to gripping devices and more particularly to a gripping device for controlling ropes or cables.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified device through which a rope or cable can be passed which will effectively grip and hold the cable in its passage in one direction and which can be readily released.

A further object is toprovide a device of the character indicated, in which, by reversal of the direction of the rope or cable, the gripping elements are automatically reversed in position from that permitting free passage of the rope or cable, to one assuring the gripping of the rope or cable when the original direction of travel is resumed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated which will effectively grip and hold a rope or cable without damaging the same.

Further objects will more particularly appear in the course of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are each medial vertical longitudinal cross sections taken through the device showing the rope engaging members in different positions with respect to a cable passing through the device in the directions indicated by the arrow;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the device;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the device, and

Figure 6 is a transverse cross section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings a housing is provided comprising a back I, two side wall members 2-2, a front member 3 and top and bottom members 4-4.

The top and bottom members are provided with aligned holes l2l2 to permit the passage of a rope or cable through the housing and the side walls 2-2 are formed with inwardly extending guide rail portions 5-5 which extend parallel with the back member l and between the opposed openings l-2-l2 in the top and bottom 2 members through which the rope or cable is intended to pass.

Between the back member I and the opposed guide rails 5--5 is positioned a friction roller II which is freely slidable between the back and the guide rails 5-5, the ends of the roller ll contacting the side walls 22 so as to maintain this roller H with its axis perpendicular to the guide rails 55 and to the normal position of a rope or cable passing through the device.

The side wall members 22 have inclined front edges and the front wall 3 is similarly inclined so that its inner face constitutes a cam surface obliquely disposed with respect to the guide rails 55. The front wall 3 is further provided with a medial longitudinal slot 6 through which extends the neck portion 1 of a handle 8 secured to a friction cam block 9 having on its rear face an arcuate cam surface [0 directed toward the friction roller II.

In operation it will be observed that a cable passing through the device in the direction of the arrow, as illustrated in Figure 1, is unobstructed. If, however, the direction of the cable is reversed as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 it will carry with it the roller l l as indicated to a position above the cam wedge 9. If then the direction of the rope is reversed, as in Figure 2, the roller is carried above the cam wedge 9 as shown in Figure 2, thus placing those gripping members in position to automatically engage the cable or rope as shown in Figure 3, when the rope or cable resumes its original direction of travel. An upward knock on handle 8, either manual, or by engagement with some structural member not shown, will effectively release the rope or cable between the roller H and the arcuate friction surface ill of the cam block, thus permitting said roller and cam member to resume the non-gripping positions illustrated in Figure 1.

Various modifications in the precise shape and arrangement of the parts will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and the device can be secured to fixed members by screws or bolts associated with either the back member l or the side members 2, as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

l. Gripping device for controlling a rope or cable comprising a housing having a through 3 passage for a cable, said housing formed with REFERENCES CITED opposltely dlsposed mtenor gulde mus extend The following references are of record in the ing parallel with the passage, and opposed faces, hi one parallel with said guide rails, the other inme of t s clined to constitute a cam surface, a friction 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS roller freely slidable between the guide rails and Numb r Name Date the parallel face of the passage and a frictional 269,497 Gorney Dec. 19, 1882 cam member slidable between the rails and the 350,980 Jurick Oct. 19, 1886 inclined cam face for the purposes specified. 1,832,388 Heisser Nov. 17, 1931 2. The device of claim 1 in which the frictional 10 1,896,415 Pyles Feb. '7, 1933 cam member has a trip member extending there- 1,903,000 Jannopoulo Mar. 28, 1933 from to the exterior of the housing. FOREIGN PATENTS SANFORD W. HERRINGTON. Number Country Date {545,931 0 0 France Aug. 4, 1922 

